Enab Baladi – Yazan Kur
More than a decade after the outbreak of war in Syria, millions of Syrians have left their country in search of safety, leaving behind their homes, cities, and normal lives to face a new reality in neighboring countries such as Lebanon.
This migration has not been limited to daily life alone. It has also extended to sports and cultural sectors, where many young people have been forced to rebuild their lives and hobbies under difficult conditions, far from the institutional support and infrastructure they once had in Syria. For young athletes, this has meant searching for new fields and academies, participating in local tournaments despite limited resources, and trying to preserve the skills they developed during childhood and adolescence in Syria.
Amid this reality, Syrian sports talents have emerged in Lebanon. Local academies, driven by individual efforts, have succeeded in nurturing these talents, but they now face the absence of official mechanisms for monitoring and follow-up by Syrian sports authorities, raising questions about the fate of these young players and the possibility of investing in their potential in the future.
Some Syrian academies in Lebanon organize near-daily training sessions for children and teenagers and involve them in local tournaments. This has made them an important hub for developing players’ skills, yet their efforts remain limited without any support or follow-up from the Syrian Football Association or the Ministry of Sports.
Complaints of systematic marginalization
The Director of Sports Activities for Syrians in Lebanon, Youssef Qazzo, sent an official letter to the Ministry of Sports and Youth and the Syrian Arab Football Association, which Enab Baladi reviewed. In the letter, he said that what is happening to Syrian talents in Lebanon “is no longer merely occasional neglect, but systematic marginalization that amounts to clear institutional negligence.”
Qazzo said there are hundreds of Syrian players in Lebanon with high technical potential who participate in tournaments and academies, yet there is no official mechanism to monitor them, no follow-up committee, no scouting program, and not even a clear communication channel with the relevant authorities in Syria.
He added that his previous attempts to contact officials in the former Syrian Football Association, headed by Salah Ramadan, and the head of the General Sports Federation, Firas Mualla, produced no tangible results. After the fall of the Assad regime, he hoped an opportunity would arise to communicate with the Football Association and the Ministry of Sports, but so far no notable official action has taken place.
Qazzo noted that Syrian academies in Lebanon have exceptionally succeeded in helping some players join clubs in Lebanon and Qatar, as well as the Syrian league, but this was achieved without any official supervision from the Syrian Football Association.
He warned that the continued absence of official support could push some of these talents to represent national teams other than Syria, which would represent a major loss for Syrian football in the long term.
Qazzo asked, “How can we talk about developing Syrian football while a large segment of its sons is being excluded?” He called for the immediate announcement of an official plan to monitor Syrian talents in Lebanon, the formation of an officially approved committee to follow up on the issue abroad, the adoption of a transparent mechanism for trials and call-ups, and the appointment of a direct official responsible for the file who can be held accountable.
He added that football “is not about personal relationships or individual initiatives, but a national responsibility,” warning that continued neglect of the issue “harms the image of the sports institution.”
The association focuses only on professionals
In response, the Director of the Media Office at the Syrian Football Association, Anas Ammo, told Enab Baladi that many academies around the world are established through personal initiatives and include young talents. He added that the association cannot communicate with all academies spread outside Syria.
Ammo said the monitoring of players is subject to specific conditions and that the association cannot track players who have not participated in official professional competitions across the different age categories in the countries where they play. He stressed that the association cannot follow amateur-level players and that there are clear criteria for approving any player within its scouting and monitoring mechanisms.
He added that about a month ago, the association held a meeting with heads of academies in Syria to issue a special law regulating their work. The association also published a statement on its official page inviting Syrian professional players inside and outside Syria who participate in official leagues to submit their résumés for review.
According to Ammo, around 1,500 football players have submitted their files. The association is currently reviewing them according to approved criteria, reflecting the significant effort required to ensure proper monitoring of players under official regulations.
A gap in vision
This debate reflects a gap in vision between those running Syrian academies abroad and the Football Association, at a time when calls are renewed for a clear and transparent mechanism that balances official professional standards with the need to avoid losing young talents active outside the country.
While Syrian academies in Lebanon are working to build a new generation of players, their efforts remain limited without official supervision or integration into national team development plans. This raises questions about the future of these talents and the importance of a comprehensive plan that supports them and guarantees their rights and opportunities.
Those running these academies say the lack of official attention has pushed many young players to abandon sports and turn to other fields, meaning the loss of skills and talents that could represent the future of Syrian national teams and further complicate efforts to build a sustainable sports base for the next generation.
Complaint over neglect of Syrian talents in Lebanon, Football Association responds Enab Baladi.
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